terça-feira, julho 26, 2005

A man of peace: Tariq Ramadan

Not all muslims are terrorists, or fanatics. Professor Tariq Ramadan fights for the integration of muslim communities in western societies — he gave an interview to the Independent this week, other interviews to the British media on his web-site. Ironically, the Sun denounced him as a dangerous extremist after the terrorists attacks of 7/7.

Some think his views are not progressive enough. Others say that he wants to destroy Islam. I think it is important to listen to him. After all, he is one among the few that spoke in favour of "integration" and pointed to the problems of exclusion and poverty affecting muslim youths. He appealead for a moratory of corporal and capital punishment in muslim countries.

I also leave a link about the recently denied VISA for the US, where he speaks for himself.

3 Comments:

I totally echo your views concerning a man of peace and culture such as Prof Tariq Ramadan! In 2003 I remember of him giving a series of conferences in London about the integration of the Islam and Islamic culture in western societies; the keenness in impacting public opinion against the possibility of war in Iraq together with a wide spread disbelief regarding Mr Blair’s position, have, unfortunately, stopped many (myself included!) from being a goodenough audience for Prof Ramadan’s subtle and intelligent thinking.

I'd however like to challenge you regarding a curious point made by the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci around that time: would the scientific and industrial progress of western civilizations ever had been possible with a religion that makes people stop 6 times per day for praying, live in starvation for weeks and which dares to be as dull as to prohibit bacon?

Just to add something about Oriana Fallaci. Ms Fallaci is one of the italian "thinkers" that have been recently defined as "clerical atheist" by Eugenio Scalfari (father of independent italian journalism, founder and former director of La Repubblica). These guys are quite sinisters (the president of the Senate is among them). They respond to islamic and religious fanatism seeking refuge in the "Christian roots" of Europe. They think that this wave of terrorism on religious basis is the expression of a clash pf civilization that can only be confronted by an opposite but similar "strong" system of beliefs and culture- namely,catholicism. Not by chance, they have recently opposed the italian referendum on fertility treatment and backed the obscurantist position of the church.

Ramadan thought is important because can bridge the gap between Islam as a law-code to Islam-personal worship. And, after all, it is a path they have to find by themselves..

The tone of the debate on terrorism in Italy these days is terrifying. Politicians denying the existence of a moderate islamism, and so on. . an ignorance and racism never heard before in my country. And people like Fallaci contributing to it.